Do your ice taste funny? Is there ‘freezer burn’ on your meat? This is why your freezer probably isn’t as clean as you think – but it only takes a few simple steps to fix it.
Antibiotic resistance has contributed to millions of deaths worldwide. Research suggests that any bacteria can develop antibiotic tolerance, and possibly resistance, when pushed to their limits.
Lab testing provides doctors with essential information to help them diagnose and treat disease. Here’s what happens behind the scenes after you roll up your sleeve for a blood draw.
Washing raw chicken can splash bacteria around the kitchen. It’s best just to properly cook the chicken without washing it. So why do people still wash? Time to bust some chicken-washing myths.
On World Rabies Day – which is also the anniversary of French microbiologist Louis Pasteur’s death – a virologist reflects on the achievements of this visionary scientist.
Taichi A. Suzuki, Max Planck Institute for Biology and Ruth Ley, Max Planck Institute for Biology
As early modern humans spread across the globe, their gut microbes genetically changed with them. Understanding the origins of gut microbes could improve understanding of their role in human health.
The types of microbes residing in your gut can affect your mental and physical health. Home microbiome tests promise to help consumers improve the composition of their gut microbes.
Two Australians with bipolar have been successfully treated with poo transplants, allowing them to come off, or reduce, their medications. Here’s where the science is up to.
Bill Sullivan, Indiana University School of Medicine
Albert Alexander was the first known person treated with penicillin. While his ultimately fatal case is well known in medical histories, the cause of his illness has been misattributed for decades.
Masks definitely catch some of the virus laden aerosols and droplets - and that will reduce transmission between people and the number of cases of COVID-19.
The new omicron variant of coronavirus has a number of mutations that may require manufacturers to update vaccines. The unique attributes of mRNA vaccines make updating them fast and easy.
Claire Guinat, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich; Etthel Windels, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and Sarah Nadeau, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
After a nose swab tests positive for a virus or bacteria, scientists can use the sample’s genetic sequence to figure out where and when the pathogen emerged and how fast it’s changing.
Wes Mountain, The Conversation and Chynthia Wijaya-Kovac, The Conversation
Watch Lotti Tajouri explain how mobile phones are vectors for bacteria and viruses, why this is a problem in our hospitals, and how you can sanitise your phone to help stop the spread of disease.
Van Leeuwenhoek, who discovered bacteria, is one of the most important figures in the history of medicine, laying the groundwork for today’s understanding of infectious disease.
The coronavirus pandemic has driven a lot of scientific progress in the past year. But just as some of the social changes are likely here to stay, so are some medical innovations.
Three scientists describe the fieldwork they’ve had to delay in 2020 because of the pandemic. These are setbacks not just for their careers, but for the body of scientific knowledge.
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier have been awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry for their revolutionary work on ‘gene scissors’ that can edit DNA.